Sensor mounting panel for an energy recovery ventilator unit

ABSTRACT

An energy recovery ventilator unit. The unit comprises a sensor mounting panel removably coupled to an outer surface of a cabinet, wherein the sensor mounting panel is configured to hold a plurality of sensors configured to measure the atmospheric environment inside of one or more of an intake zone, a supply zone, or a return zone housed inside of the cabinet.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (docket no. 100074), by McKie et al., entitled, “AN ENERGY RECOVERY VENTILATOR UNIT WITH OFFSET AND OVERLAPPING ENTHALPY WHEELS” (“Appl-1”); U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (docket no. 100075) by McKie et al., entitled, “A TRANSITION MODULE FOR AN ENERGY RECOVERY VENTILATOR UNIT” (“Appl-2”); and U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (docket no. 100090), by McKie et al., entitled, “DESIGN LAYOUT FOR AN ENERGY RECOVERY VENTILATOR SYSTEM” (“Appl-3”), which are all filed on the same date as the present application, and, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. One or more of the above applications may describe embodiments of Energy Recovery Ventilator Units and components thereof that may be suitable for making and/or use in some of the embodiments described herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This application is directed, in general, to space conditioning systems and methods for conditioning the temperature and humidity of an enclosed space using an energy recovery ventilator.

BACKGROUND

Energy recover ventilator units recover energy from exhaust air for the purpose of pre-conditioning outdoor air prior to supplying the conditioned air to a conditioned space, either directly, or, as part of an air-conditioning system. It is desirable to periodically troubleshoot and service energy recovery ventilator units.

SUMMARY

One embodiment of the present disclosure is an energy recovery ventilator unit. The unit comprises a sensor mounting panel removably coupled to an outer surface of a cabinet, wherein the sensor mounting panel is configured to hold a plurality of sensors configured to measure the atmospheric environment inside of one or more of an intake zone, a supply zone, or a return zone housed inside of the cabinet.

Another embodiment of the present disclosure is a method of using an energy recovery ventilator unit that comprises coupling a removable sensor mounting panel to an outer surface of a cabinet. The sensor mounting panel is configured to hold a plurality of sensors configured to measure the atmospheric environment inside of one or more of an intake zone, a supply zone, or a return zone housed inside of the cabinet.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 presents an exploded three-dimensional view of an example energy recovery ventilator unit that includes an example embodiment of the sensor mounting panel of the disclosure;

FIG. 2 presents an exploded view of an example sensor mounting panel of the disclosure similar to the sensor mounting panel depicted in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 presents an exploded view of another example sensor mounting panel of the disclosure similar to the sensor mounting panel depicted in FIG. 1;

FIGS. 4A and 4B present side views of another example energy recovery ventilator unit of the disclosure, analogous to views 4 and 5, respectively, presented in FIG. 1 and including example embodiments of the sensor mounting panel of the disclosure; and

FIG. 5 presents a flow diagram of an example method of using an energy recovery ventilator unit of the disclosure, including any of the example sensor mounting panels discussed in the context of FIGS. 1-4B.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The term, “or,” as used herein, refers to a non-exclusive or, unless otherwise indicated. Also, the various embodiments described herein are not necessarily mutually exclusive, as some embodiments can be combined with one or more other embodiments to form new embodiments.

As part of the present disclosure, it was recognized that an impediment to troubleshooting and servicing many existing energy recover ventilators is gaining access to sensors and other components within the energy recover ventilator. Often, the environmental sensors are distributed at different locations inside of the energy recover ventilator. Consequently, to access the sensors, the energy recover ventilator has to be shut off and partial disassembled to gain access and to test the sensor. Alternately, if service personnel attempted to access the sensors while that energy recover ventilator was still operating, opening up the energy recover ventilator to gain access to the sensor changes the atmospheric environment inside of the energy recover ventilator, which in turn, can deter troubleshooting because the functioning of the energy recover ventilator has been altered. Additionally, entry into the energy recover ventilator while it is still operating can present a safety hazard to the service personnel.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure address these problems by providing a removable sensor mounting panel that consolidates the location of several sensors. Certain embodiments of the removable sensor mounting panel facilitates access to the sensors from outside of the energy recover ventilator, even while the energy recover ventilator is in operation, and consequently, without having to substantially alter the atmospheric environment within the energy recover ventilator.

One embodiment of the present disclosure is an energy recovery ventilator unit. FIG. 1 presents a three-dimensional exploded view of an example energy recovery ventilator unit 100 that includes an example embodiment of the sensor mounting panel 105 of the disclosure. FIGS. 2 and 3 present exploded views of example sensor mounting panels 105 of the disclosure similar to the sensor mounting panel 105 depicted in FIG. 1.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the energy recovery ventilator unit 100 comprises a sensor mounting panel 105 removably coupled to an outer surface 107 of a cabinet 110. The sensor mounting panel 105 is configured to hold a plurality of sensors (e.g., sensors 112, 114, 116) configured to measure the atmospheric environment inside of one or more of an intake zone 120, a supply zone 122, or a return zone 124 housed inside of the cabinet 110.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, in some embodiments, the sensors 112, 114, 116 can be also be configured to measure the atmospheric environment inside of an exhaust zone 126 or an enthalpy zone 128 inside of the cabinet 110. In some cases, the enthalpy zone 128 can be merged with, or be part of, the intake zone 120 and/or exhaust zone 126, while in other cases, the cabinet 105 has internal wall portions that define a separate enthalpy zone 128.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, in some embodiments, the removable sensor mounting panel 105 is configured as a modular component that can be installed or replaced on-site. In some embodiments, the removable sensor mounting panel 105 is coupled to the outer surface 107 via mounting structures 130, such as hinges or brackets, which facilitate holding and removal of the panel 105 for replacement, or, to provide mechanical access to components (e.g., sensors) connected to the panel 105 or other components located inside one of the zones 120-128.

In some cases, each of the sensors 112, 114, 116 can be connected to the sensor mounting panel 105 by quick connect/disconnect plugs, e.g., to facilitate rapid attachment/detachment to and from the panel for troubleshooting or replacement.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, in some embodiments, the sensors held to the sensor mounting panel 105 can include one or more temperature sensor 112, pressure sensor 114 and humidity sensor 116.

In some cases, the one or more of the sensors 112, 114, 116 are each configured to be extended into a forced air stream 135 in one of the zones 120-128. This facilitates the accurate measurement of the normal operating atmospheric environment inside of the cabinet 110, while at the same time allowing the sensors to be accessed and tested while the unit 100 is operating. The normal operating atmospheric environment typically includes the forced air passing from one zone to another zone as air is taken into the cabinet, e.g. by a first blower 137 located in the intake zone 120 or by a second blower 138 located in the return air zone 124. As illustrated, in some cases, the first blower 137 can be configured to push outside air into the intake zone 120 and straight through\ the enthalpy exchange zone 128 into the supply zone 122, and the second blower 138 can be configured to push return air into the return zone 124 and straight through the enthalpy exchange zone 128 into the exhaust zone 126.

For instance, to facilitate extending the sensors into the forced air stream 135, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the temperature sensor 112 can include a probe 205 that is elongated so as to be in the airstream 135 passing through one of the zones 120-128 (FIG. 1).

For instance, in some cases to facilitate extending the sensors into the forced air stream 135, the pressure sensor 114 can include an extension tube 210 and the end 212 of the tube can be located remotely from the sensor mounting panel 105, e.g., in one or the zones 120-128. For example, a pressure transducer 215 can be connected to the end 217 of the tube 210 that is held by the panel 105. In some cases, the panel 105 can include a conduit 220 that is configured to hold and allow the passage of the tube 210 there-through. However, in other cases, such as when the panel 105 is located directly adjacent to one of the zones 120-128 the pressure sensor 114 can simply include a pressure barb 221 that measures the pressure in the immediate vicinity of the panel 105 inside the cabinet 105.

For instance, to facilitate extending the sensors into the forced air stream 135, the sensor mounting panel 105 can include a bracket 222 mounted thereto, the bracket 222 configured to hold a humidity sensor 116 thereon and thereby extend the humidity sensor 116 into the air-stream 135. In some cases, an electronic circuit 224 can be configured to derive enthalpy from the temperature and humidity recorded from one the zones 120-128 can be mounted on the bracket 222.

As further illustrated in FIG. 3, in some embodiments, the sensor mounting panel 105 can be configured to hold one or more pressure switches 310 thereon. The pressure switches 310 can be coupled to a pressure sensor (not shown) that is configured measure pressure in the vicinity of an enthalpy-exchanger device 140 (e.g., an enthalpy wheel) or an air 145 filter located inside of the cabinet 110 (FIG. 1), such as the enthalpy zone 128. In some cases, one or more of the pressure switches 310 can be further configured to generate a signal if the air filter 145 is dirty and/or if the pressure across the enthalpy wheel 140 has exceeded a maximum allowable value.

As also illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3, in some embodiments, the sensor mounting panel 105 can further include an insulating layer 150 coupled thereto, the insulating layer 150 having openings (not shown) through which portions of the sensors 112, 114, 116 can pass through.

In some embodiments, the sensor mounting panel 105 can include sensors 112, 114, 116 configured to measure the atmospheric environment inside the intake zone 120. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the intake zone 120 can be located adjacent to an exhaust zone 126 inside of the cabinet 110, the intake zone 120 and the exhaust zone 126 both located on a same side of an enthalpy exchange zone 128 of the cabinet 110. In some embodiments, the sensor mounting panel 105 includes sensors 112, 114, 116 configured to measure the atmospheric environment inside the supply zone 122 and the return zone 124, the supply zone 122 and the return zone 124 both located on a same side of an enthalpy exchange zone 128 of the cabinet 110.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, in some cases, the outer surface 107 that the sensor mounting panel 105 is coupled to is part of an exterior sidewall 160 of the cabinet 110.

In other embodiments, however the sensor mounting panel can be mounted to a surface 107 of a control panel. Such an embodiment is depicted in FIGS. 4A and 4B which present side views along view lines 4 and 5, respectively in FIG. 1, of another example energy recovery ventilator unit 100 of the disclosure. The embodiment depicted in FIGS. 4A and 4B can include any of the sensor mounting panels 105 and their component parts such discussed in the context of FIGS. 1-3

As further illustrated in FIG. 4A, in some embodiments of the unit 100, the sensor mounting panel 105 is coupled to a control panel 410 which can be mounted to, or is part of, the exterior surface 107 of an exterior sidewall 160 of the cabinet 110. The control panel 410 can be configured to include a plurality of control modules for the unit 100. In some cases the control panel 410 facilitates the consolidation of all of the control modules that control substantially all of the functions of the unit 100. For example, in some cases, the control panel 410 includes a unit control module 415 with a visual display 420, a power distributer block module 425, an external unit disconnect block module 427, an enthalpy exchanger motor control module 430, voltage transformers modules 435 and fuse block module 440. In some embodiments, the control panel 410 can be configured as a removable panel, e.g., to facilitate access to components located behind the panel 410 or replacement of the panel 410.

As further illustrated in FIG. 4A, some embodiments of the unit 100 can further include a second sensor mounting panel 450 or a third sensor mounting panel 455. In some cases, the three separate sensor mounting panels 105, 450, 455 can each hold a plurality of sensors (e.g., similar to sensors 112, 114, 116 depicted in FIGS. 2 and 3) which are configured to measure atmospheric environment in different ones of the zones 120, 122, 124, and optionally, other zones 126, 128 inside the cabinet 110.

For example, in some cases, the sensor mounting panel 105 includes the sensors 112, 114, 116 mounted thereto that are configured to measure the atmospheric environment inside of one of the intake zone 120, the supply zone 122 and the return zone 124. The second and third sensor mounting panels 450, 455, can each include similarly configured but different sensors 460, 462 mounted thereto that are each configured to measure the atmospheric environment inside one of the others of the intake air zone 120, the supply zone 122 and the return zone 124.

For instance, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 4, the first sensor mounting panel 105 can have sensors 112, 114, 116 configured to measure temperature, pressure and humidity in the intake air zone 120, the second sensor mounting panel 450 has sensors 460 configured to measure temperature, pressure and humidity in the return air zone 124, and, the third sensor mounting panel 455 has sensors 465 configured to measure temperature, pressure and humidity in the supply air zone 122.

As further illustrated in FIG. 4A, in some embodiments, the unit 100 can have more than one control panel, and there can be multiple sensor mounting panels coupled to the different ones of the control panels. For instance, there can be a first control panel 450 located on the side wall 160 of the cabinet 110, and the sensor mounting panel 105 can be coupled to the first control panel 450 and the sensors 112, 114, 116 mounted thereto are configured to measure the atmospheric environment inside the intake zone 120. There can also be a second control panel 470 mounted to the same sidewall 160. In some cases, similar to the first panel, the second control panel 470 can be a removable panel, or, the panel can include a door 472, e.g., to permit service access to the enthalpy zone 128 (e.g., the enthalpy-exchanger device 140 and air filters 145). A second sensor mounting panel 410 can be coupled to second control panel 470 and the sensors 460 mounted thereto can be configured to record the atmospheric environment inside of the one of the supply zone 122 or the return zone 124. A third sensor mounting panel can be coupled to the second control panel 470 and the sensors 462 mounted thereto can be configured to record the atmospheric environment inside of the other one of the supply zone 122 or the return zone 124.

In some embodiments, at least one of the second or third mounting panels 450, 455 can be permanently fixed to the second control panel 410 and the second control panel 410 can further includes a door 475 configured to permit access to the sensors 450, 455 held by the second or third sensor mounting panels 450, 455.

In some embodiments the sensor mounting panel (e.g., any of sensor mounting panels 105, 450, 455) is configured to cover an opening in an exterior side wall 160 or in a control panel (e.g., any one of control panels 410, 470) of the cabinet 105 that is large enough to permit the passage of an air blower or other similarly large-sized electronic components there-through when the sensor mounting panel is removed from the opening. E.g., the sensor mounting panel can completely separated from the cabinet 110 or swung open on a hinge.

For example, as illustrated in FIG. 4A, the second sensor mounting panel 450 covers an opening 480 in the second control panel 470. The opening 480 is large enough to permit mechanical service access and removal of a return air blower 138 located in the return air zone 124 through the opening 480. Similarly, in some embodiments, the sensor mounting panel can be configured to cover an opening in the first control panel 410 that is large enough to permit the passage of the intake air blower 137 there-through.

As further illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 4B, in some embodiments, the sensor mounting panel (e.g., anyone or all of panels 105, 450, 455) is coupled to a surface of the cabinet 110 that is located inside of a recess 485 in a sidewall 160 of the cabinet 110. Locating the sensor mounting panel in a recess 485 facilitates covering the sensor mounting panel with a removable panel or door, e.g., to protect the one or more sensor mounting panels from harsh environmental conditions, but still give ready access to the sensor mounting panel.

Another embodiment of the present disclosure is a method of using an energy recovery ventilator unit, such as any of the units 100, and their sensor mounting panels 105, such as discussed in the context of FIGS. 1-4B. FIG. 5 presents a flow diagram of an example method 500 of manufacture.

With continuing reference to FIGS. 1-4B throughout, the example method 500 comprises a step 510 of coupling a removable sensor mounting panel 105 to an outer surface 107 of a cabinet 110. As previously discussed herein, the sensor mounting panel 105 is configured to hold a plurality of sensors 112, 114, 116 configured to measure the atmospheric environment inside of one or more of a intake zone 120, a supply zone 122, or a return zone 124 housed inside of the cabinet 110, or optionally the exhaust air zone 126 or enthalpy exchange zone 128.

In some embodiments, the method 500 further includes a step 520 of attaching the sensors 112, 114, 116 to the sensor mounting panel 105, including attaching (e.g., via quick connect/disconnect plugs) one or more temperature sensor 112, pressure sensor 114 or humidity sensors 116, so as to be located in a forced air stream 135 traveling through one of the zones 120, 122, 124, or optionally, through the other zones 126, 128.

In some embodiments, the method 500 further includes a step 530 of detaching one or more of the sensors 112, 114, 116 from the sensor mounting panel while a forced air stream 135 is traveling through one of the zones 120, 122, 124, or optionally, the other zones 126, 128 (e.g., while the unit 100 is operating).

In some embodiments, the method 500 further includes a step 540 replacing one or more of the sensors 112, 114, 116 from the sensor mounting panel with a different sensor while a forced air stream 135 is traveling through one of the zones 120, 122, 124, or optionally, through the other zones 126, 128.

As noted elsewhere herein, the ability to remove and/or replace the sensor 112, 114, 116 while the energy recover ventilator unit 100 is operating can facilitate trouble shooting the unit 100 as well as reduce safety hazards to service personnel.

In some embodiments, the method 500 further includes a step 550 of accessing components of the energy recovery ventilator unit 100 through an opening 480 in the outer surface 107 of the cabinet, the opening 480 being exposed by removing the sensor mounting panel (e.g., any or panels 105, 450, 455) from the opening 480.

Those skilled in the art to which this application relates will appreciate that other and further additions, deletions, substitutions and modifications may be made to the described embodiments. 

1. An energy recovery ventilator unit, comprising: a sensor mounting panel removably coupled to an outer surface of a cabinet, wherein the sensor mounting panel is configured to hold a plurality of sensors configured to measure the atmospheric environment inside of one or more of an intake zone, a supply zone, or a return zone housed inside of the cabinet.
 2. The unit of claim 1, wherein each of the sensors are connected to the sensor mounting panel by quick connect/disconnect plugs.
 3. The unit of claim 1, wherein the sensors held to the sensor mounting panel includes one or more temperature sensor, pressure sensor and humidity sensor.
 4. The unit of claim 1, wherein one or more of the sensors are each configured to be extended into a forced air stream in one of the zones.
 5. The unit of claim 1, wherein the sensor mounting panel includes a pressure conduit configured to hold a tube that is connected to a pressure transducer, wherein an end of the tube is located remotely from the sensor mounting panel.
 6. The unit of claim 1, wherein the sensor mounting panel is configured to hold one or more pressure switches thereon, the pressure switch coupled to a pressure sensor configured detect a pressure in the vicinity of an air filter located inside of the cabinet.
 7. The unit of claim 1, wherein the sensor mounting panel is configured to hold one or more pressure switches thereon, the pressure switch coupled to a pressure sensor configured detect a pressure in the vicinity of an enthalpy wheel located inside of the cabinet.
 8. The unit of claim 1, wherein the sensor mounting panel includes a bracket mounted thereto, the bracket configured to hold a humidity sensor thereon and thereby extend the humidity sensor into the cabinet.
 9. The unit of claim 1, wherein the sensor mounting panel includes sensors configured to measure the atmospheric environment inside the intake zone which is located adjacent to an exhaust zone inside of the cabinet, the intake zone and the exhaust zone both located on a same side of an enthalpy exchange zone of the cabinet.
 10. The unit of claim 1, wherein the sensor mounting panel includes sensors configured to measure the atmospheric environment inside the supply zone and the return zone, the supply zone and the return zone both located on a same side of an enthalpy exchange zone of the cabinet.
 11. The unit of claim 1, wherein the outer surface of the cabinet that the sensor mounting panel is coupled to is part of an exterior side wall of the cabinet.
 12. The unit of claim 1, wherein the sensor mounting panel is coupled to a control panel which is mounted to the exterior surface of an exterior sidewall of the cabinet, wherein the control panel is configured to include one or more control modules for the unit.
 13. The unit of claim 1, further including second and third sensor mounting panels, wherein the sensor mounting panel includes the sensors mounted thereto that are configured to measure the atmospheric environment inside of one of the intake zone, the supply zone and the return zone, and the second and third sensor mounting panels each include different sensors mounted thereto that are each configured to measure the atmospheric environment inside of one of the others of the intake air zone, the supply zone and the return zone.
 14. The unit of claim 1, further including: a first control panel located on a side wall of the cabinet, wherein the sensor mounting panel is coupled to the first control panel and the sensors mounted thereto are configured to measure the atmospheric environment inside the intake zone; and second control panel mounted to the same side wall, wherein a second sensor mounting panel is coupled to second control panel and the sensors mounted thereto are configured to record the atmospheric environment inside of the one of the supply zone or the return zone; and a third sensor mounting panel is coupled to the second control panel and the sensors mounted thereto are configured to record the atmospheric environment inside of the other one of the supply zone or the return zone.
 15. The unit of claim 1, wherein the sensor mounting panel is configured to cover an opening in an exterior side wall or in a control panel of the cabinet that is large enough to permit the passage of an air blower there-through when the sensor mounting panel is removed from the opening.
 16. A method of using an energy recovery ventilator unit, comprising: coupling a removable sensor mounting panel to an outer surface of a cabinet, wherein the sensor mounting panel is configured to hold a plurality of sensors configured to measure the atmospheric environment inside of one or more of an intake zone, a supply zone, or a return zone housed inside of the cabinet.
 17. The method of claim 16, further including attaching the sensors to the sensor mounting panel, including attaching one or more temperature sensor, pressure sensor or humidity sensor so as to be located in a forced air stream traveling through one of the zones.
 18. The method of claim 16, detaching one or more of the sensors from the sensor mounting panel while a forced air stream is traveling through one of the zones.
 19. The method of claim 16, replacing one or more of the sensors from the sensor mounting panel with a different sensor while a forced air stream is traveling through one of the zones.
 20. The method of claim 16, accessing components of the energy recovery ventilator unit through an opening in the outer surface of the cabinet, the opening being exposed by removing the sensor mounting panel from the opening. 